The story revolves around thirteen-year old Sam Gribley, a devotee of Thoreau. Sam decides to leave the city (set in Toronto) to spend a sabbatical in the Canadian woods and see if he can make it as a self-sufficient spirit after his parents promise a summer trip that doesn't pan out.

His immediate companion is his pet raccoon, Gus, which lives with him in the city. He gathers supplies at a local store and leaves his family behind, hops on a bus and heads down the 401 with Gus to what he calls "the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec". In actuality he ends up in the picturesque town of Knowlton, Quebec, SE of Montreal, in the Notre Dame Mountains Range of the Appalachians. Here he finds the perfect mountain stream and pond location to build a home in an old dead tree. Now he can begin his long-awaited algae experiments, as well as prove his ability as a solitary, young Thoreau living off the land and communing fully with nature.

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews (1)